The production of distilled spirits from fermented sugars dates back to antiquity. The first distiller was probably a Greek or Egyptian alchemist who boiled wine in a crude still. The practice of distilling spirits from fermented sugars to produce potable spirits has been found in many different cultures throughout the world.
While rum, the distillate of fermented molasses, was probably the most important product of colonial New England, the rum industry in North America slowly declined thereafter in favor of whisky. Whisky is an alcoholic distillate from a fermented mash of grain distilled at less than 190.degree. proof (i.e. 95% alcohol by volume) in such a manner that the distillate possesses the taste, aroma, and characteristic generally attributed to whiskey.
The particular taste, aroma, and character of a distilled spirit is due primarily to substances other than alcohol which are produced during fermentation and maturation, known in the art as congeners. The distilling and maturation processes are manipulated by distillers and bottlers to obtain the proper mix and level of congeners in the distilled spirit needed to produce the desired aroma, taste, etc. of the distilled spirit. Congeners are generally higher alcohols, organic acids, esters, aldehydes, tannins, and the like which are contained in various distilled spirits in various amounts. The amounts of congeners in relatively heavy-bodied liquors, e.g. whisky, are much greater than beverages having a lighter body, e.g. grain neutral spirits (spirits distilled from grain at over 190.degree. proof) and vodka (distilled spirits defined as treated to be without character aroma or taste other than that of ethanol itself).
Over the past half-century, consumer preference in the United States has shifted from heavy-bodied distilled spirits to distilled spirits having a lighter body as evidenced by the tremendous growth in consumption of vodka. See Kirk-Othmer, Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Vol. 3, p. 836 (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 3d ed. 1978). With this change in consumer preference, it would be desirable to modify the flavors of distilled spirits so as to make the distilled spirit more palatable for those who prefer a lighter-bodied beverage.
Distilled spirits have been flavored with sweeteners and other flavorings to obtain highly flavored cordials or liqueurs. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,842 (Ehrlich et al.) discloses extracted roasted citrus peel with aqueous ethanol, e.g. a distilled alcoholic beverage of about 70 to about 120 proof such as brandy, whisky, vodka, gin, etc., and sweetening the resulting bitter liquor, e.g. with fructose, to make a cordial. The patent to Ehrlich et al. states that the extract is very bitter and may require from 5 to 50 parts or more fructose per part of cordial, although the only example discloses using from 5 to 14 parts of fructose per 100 parts of extract. Although the patent to Ehrlich et al. teaches the use of fructose, it does not specify the form of fructose and it specifically states that the extract is bitter and needs much sweetening which implies that a heavy-bodied beverage would result.